


Every Action Leads to This

by GlitternGlow



Series: Harry Potter Christmas Works [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Hogwarts, M/M, Nifflers, Searching, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 13:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16913406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitternGlow/pseuds/GlitternGlow
Summary: Nifflers are free in HogwartsDay 8 of the 25 Days of Draco and Harry





	1. Nifflers, Nifflers Everywhere

Todays Prompt: A Niffler with some Jewellery 

 

“It’s missing!”

The shout rang through the common room and Pansy and Blaise shared a look. They would know that voice anywhere.

“Nothing to see,” Pansy stared at two Hufflepuffs, well. Ex- Hufflepuffs now since they were the official “8th year” of Hogwarts and all shared a dorm.

Things started bouncing down the stairs, cushions, pillows, a few blankets and books. Pansy caught Hermione’s eye and she waved her wand, sending everything back to where it came from with a smile. Then Draco marched into the common room with his hair askew and his arms flailing.

“It’s gone Pansy!” he stressed and when the girl looked at him, took in his pale face and his wide eyes she gasped. “Exactly! And the Christmas holidays are two days away!”

“Blaise,” she got the Italian boy’s attention. He looked up at her from his seat by the chess table and they had a whole conversation without saying anything. 

“Really? Serious Draco?”

Draco looked at him for a moment, his eyes flicked to Pansy and she nodded and then he smiled at Blaise. “Really. So help me find it!”

Blaise laughed. Everyone laughed more often since the war ended, and the Slytherins laughed more since Potter started dating Draco. Speaking of.

Harry came back through the portrait hole, he was sweaty, his shirt high on one side where it had stuck to his ribs showing off a very nice swath of flesh and hip. Blaise whistled and Harry looked over to them, his face brightening at seeing Draco.

“Dray! You missed it!” he half yelled happily as Ron came in behind him, also sweaty but not wearing it as well as their Saviour.

“Oh yes! You should have seen him, one second more and we would have had Harry Pancakes,” he admonished as he clipped Harry on the back of the head. Harry pouted as Ron went to greet Hermione.

“But it was cool,” he said softly, his emerald eyes widening like a puppy begging for food. Draco hated when he did that, no one so far had ever been able to resist Harry’s kicked puppy face. Sure enough Ron sighed, and a smile overtook his face.

“Stupid. Dangerous,” he ticked off on his fingers. “And yes, so damn cool.”

Harry whooped and then went over to Draco, pulling him down for a kiss before he even said hello. “You ok? What’s going on?” he looked at them and his smile faded.

Draco ruffled his hair. He had learnt a lot about the boy who lived in the last year, and he knew touch was a big thing for Harry. He put a smile on his face that wasn’t all forced as he watched Harry lean into his touch. “Nothing, go shower before you try to kiss me again,” he said with a mock look of disgust but Harry’s face cleared up and he ran off to the dorms.

Hermione and Ron joined the ex-Slytherins and waited.

“Draco has lost his family ring,” Pansy stated before Draco could object Blaise stepped in.

“It is imperative we find it before Christmas break.”

“Oh Draco, of course we will help. Won’t we Ron?”

Ron nodded and made to walk into the dorms. “Sure, let me just grab a shower first.”

Blaise stepped forward then, stopping him from moving further. “Do not tell Harry.”

Ron looked at the Italian boy, he was tall, lithe with darker skin and blazing eyes. If he swung that way then he would be hard pushed to do better. He switched his eyes to Draco then, the question hovering in them.

“He will worry too much…about my father.”

Hermione nodded then. “I’ll keep him busy, but let me know if you need anything and I’ll be right there. I might get Neville and Luna to- oh Luna!”

The ditsy, dreamy girl walked over. “There are a lot of Nargles here. And oh Draco. I wish you luck. Things turn up when they will. I will keep Harry busy. You’ll need Hermione. I suggest starting with Hannah. She had lost her pet this morning.”

The girl wandered off then and Pansy muttered something about her being strange, but a small smile lifted her lips so Hermione didn’t say anything about it.

“Hannah?” Draco mused as Ron went upstairs to shower. Neville walked up to them then with a sigh.

“Has anyone seen a Niffler?”

All four of the 8th years froze. “A Niffler?” Draco started, his temper rising. “Who in Merlin’s name let a Niffler loose in Hogwarts!”

Hermione gave a soft gasp, followed by a clap and took Neville by the shoulders. “We need to find it. Go and tell Headmistress McGonagall, Nev. She needs to know. They steal anything shiny so other people will be missing things too.”

\--

Harry was drying his hair as Ron got out of the shower. “What’s all the noise down there?” he asked but Ron just shrugged. The door opened and Neville came in.

“Guys, have you seen a Niffler in here?”

“A what?” Harry asked at the same time as Ron went “Oohhhhhh!”

All three boys looked at each other before Neville spoke again. “There was a mix up and Hannah got a Niffler for a pet, but it’s gone missing now. it is attracted to anything shiny so lock up everything in this room before you leave it, then at least we know it won’t come here.”

Ron nodded and started moving around the room. Harry watched him for a moment before he smiled. “Accio everything shiny,” he said softly and there was soon a pile on Harry’s bed. Ron rolled his eyes and punched him good naturedly in the arm before locking it all up in a pouch inside his trunk.

“We better go and help look.”

Harry nodded, and both boys dressed and went back to the common rooms. McGonagall’s voice rang out then through the Castle.

“Everyone, there is a Niffler free in the castle. Should anyone find it please bring it to me, and if anyone notices any belongings missing, please let a member of staff know as soon as possible.”

“So it’s a big deal?” Harry asked as he went back to his friends. Hermione huffed and got ready to give him a quick lesson on the little mole like creatures when Draco snapped.

“Of course it’s a big deal!” he swung around, realised it was Harry and shook his head. “Nevermind, let’s go look.”

Harry jogged up to him, slowly slipping his hand into Draco’s larger but more delicate one. “Dray, talk to me.”

Draco kept looking ahead, he knew the others were following them out of the common room and into the corridors but he was a Malfoy. Much had changed since the war, he showed his emotions to those he trusted implicitly and no one else. And right now, they were out in the corridors. Harry was not getting into feelings here.

“Dray,” Harry pulled him to a stop. “Guys, go ahead, we will catch up.”

Draco gave Pansy a look but she just shrugged as if to say “I’m not taking on your boyfriend” before she went past with the others. 

“Draco, please tell me what it is…I’m worried.”

Draco sighed and pinched the brow of his nose with his free hand. Harry still held the other one, and he was so warm, so loving. Draco didn’t deserve it.

“That stupid mole rat has stolen my Family ring ok? I need it back before the holidays.”

Harry’s eyes went comically wide then but instead of saying anything he stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled.

A few things happened then:

The nearby ghosts turned to them and stood waiting in a line  
Harry’s new Firebolt appeared from nowhere and smacked into his waiting hand  
They gained a crowd of students, as well as Flitwick  
And Luna wandered over and stood beside Harry, a little too close for Draco’s comfort.

“Right, thank you for your help. We have a Niffler to find. Is anyone experienced in catching them?” he asked the surrounding crowd.

Flitwick floated himself to Harry’s height and nodded. “I can take the top two floors of the castle, if three students will come with me?”

He got three volunteers and set off immediately.

“They like to burrow,” one of the Ghosts mentioned, and the Baron nodded. “We will search the deeper, darker places young one. It won’t get away.”

Harry bowed his head in thanks.

“Everyone just fan out and look. They like shiny things so if you have anything you can use as bait, then have at it.”

Luna smiled as she pulled Harry’s sleeve to get his attention. “You should let Draco search, and come with me to the Lake.”

He cocked his head at her, and smiled. Draco wasn’t jealous really, Harry had a smile that was all just for him but sometimes he hated and loved that Harry had a big heart.

“Sorry Luna, maybe some other time? We have to find Draco’s family ring.”

She looked then to Draco, standing near the top of the stairs and waiting for Harry and nodded. “Change in plan then, that’s good. I will tell the others that I will help them.”

She skipped off then, and Harry realised she wasn’t wearing shoes again. He thought he had put a stop to that, and made a mental note to ask Luna about it later.

\--

It turned out, there was more than one Niffler in Hogwarts. The students quickly learnt how to trap them, lure them out and keep them in one place.

“Still nothing,” Blaise said when he passed Draco in the lower Dungeons. “What about Harry?”

“Doing a check of the Chamber, though why they would go there is beyond me. Ron went with him.” He still found it strange to use Ron’s first name but he forced himself. House unity and all that, more like Harry asked him and he was a sap.

Blaise seemed to realise what he was thinking “Oh shut up,” he added and Blaise’s smile widened to a smirk.

“We will get it back Draco. There can’t be that many more of them in here. There was only one pet.”

Hermione came around the corner then, her wand on her hand using a simple point me spell.

“I didn’t think of it before, but its leading me to your lost object,” she said and immediately Draco and Blaise followed behind her. 

They went down past the used Dungeon rooms, into parts of the castle that had yet to be repaired in the reconstruction. Suddenly they slowed as they heard voices.

“Babies?”

“Of course, there must be a family. Hannah didn’t get a pet, she found a wild one.”

“Oh…that makes sense I guess.”

“Harry?” Draco asked quietly to those near to him and while Blaise shrugged Hermione nodded.

“Sounds like him. and trust him to find trouble.”

They rounded another corner and went along a corridor until they came to an open door. Harry was sat on the floor, surrounded by Nifflers, while behind him was a huge pile of stolen students’ belongings.

Hermione sent a quick Patronus message to the Headmistress before laughing as a baby Niffler stuck its head out of Harry’s hair.

“Adorable,” Blaise said sarcastically but Draco nodded. He had to agree that Harry surrounded by baby Nifflers was one of the most adorable things he had ever seen.

“Oh, you found us,” Neville said as he turned. He had been the one Harry was talking to. That made more sense. Harry never knew things that went on around him, he was oblivious to the world unless it was thrown in his face. Draco was working on it.

“Trust you Potter,” he laughed as he plucked the baby out of Harry’s birdnest of hair. He dropped a kiss on his cheek then and crouched next to him just as the Headmistress, and a few other Professors arrived and began to contain the situation.

“Can we keep him?” Harry asked Draco with his huge eyes, and Draco bit his lip. Nifflers were not pets.

“Harry, love. We-“

“No Mr Potter, you cannot keep it,” McGonagall was firm but she was struggling to keep a smile off of her face. “Get Mr Malfoy to buy you a Kneazel if you would like something intelligent and cute.”

Draco blushed then and Harry turned to him, handing him the little baby Niffler to be collected. But when he turned back Harry was asking Neville what a Kneazel was.

Draco rolled his eyes and looked at the pile of things behind Harry. “Accio family ring,” he moved the wand and felt the magic search before the ring was safely back in his hand. He smiled to himself as he slipped it back onto his finger, playing with it absently as he watched Harry help round up the other Nifflers and put them in the cages Flitwick was conjuring.

Harry tripped over nothing, knocking a whole cage over, and the babies instead of running just crawled all over him.

He loved his boyfriend, he really did. But sometimes he wondered however he had made it against the Dark Lord, when Nifflers seemed to floor him.

It didn’t matter, Draco would be there. He looked down at the ring on his hand, the mark of his station, of his family inheritance. Yes, he would be there, for everything.

Always.


	2. I Told You Always....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 of the 25 Days of Draco and Harry. Chapter 2 of the story, and the happy ending, we hope

Todays Prompt: The Malfoy Family Ring 

 

Saying goodbye for the Christmas holidays was always tough. Harry hated it usually because he would have been going back to the Dursleys, but this year he was staying put. Him, a handful of other students and three or four of the Professors and he couldn’t be happier.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come? I mean you’re Harry Potter. You can just demand to be let through,” Ron was saying as Hermione sighed and hugged him.

“Take care of yourself, we will write if we can. I’m not sure about Owl post internationally.”

Harry gave a mock gasp and put his hand to his chest. “Something you don’t know about?” he asked mock shocked and she laughed and hit him in the chest. “I’m kidding. Have a great time and take lots of photos to show me.”

Ron nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “Will do.”

They left then, the other students already streaming to the carriages that would take them to the Hogwarts Express. He stood watching long after they had gone and a hand slipped into his. It was soft and warmer than expected.

He turned to look at Draco, smiling at him softly before the taller blonde ruffled his hair.

“Come on Potter! It’s freezing with the door open and its time for dinner!” Pansy’s voice ruined the moment between the two boys and if looks could kill Draco would indeed be a murderer in that moment.

Instead of getting angry though Harry just smiled and pulled Draco away from the doors, which closed behind them and into the Great hall. There was only one table set up, and Snape was sat near the head of it, with Flitwick and McGonagall a little further down. Harry pulled Draco right to the top of the table and sat opposite Snape. “Evening sir,” he said happily and then looked at his place setting as a goblet and plate appeared. Draco dropped into the seat next to him. Blaise and Pansy sitting a little further down, in neutral territory if there were such a thing.

Snape gave Harry a sneer, but it was nothing like what he used to give. Saving someone’s life would do that.

“Sev, how was today?”

Snape put his book down and sighed. “Well enough Draco. I am glad to have the brats gone for two weeks.”

“Are you doing anything for Christmas day Sir?” Harry piped in again while waiting for his food to appear but Snape just looked at him. Draco kicked him under the table and he sighed again.

“No Potter, I am going to spend it quietly in my chambers and brew.”

Harry looked at Draco for a moment before he pulled his best puppy dog eyes on the Professor. “Please let us come open presents with you in the morning before you start your day of solitude?”

Flitwick stifled a chuckle, while Pansy and Blaise looked at them as if they were mad and Minerva just fought the smile that was trying to curve her lips. The other students at the bottom of the table didn’t pay much attention to them at all.

Snape looked uncomfortable, his eyes looking at Harry, then they flicked to Draco who gave an almost imperceptible shrug. It wasn’t anything to do with him.

“Why?” he asked, his voice cracking a little but Harry smiled. It wasn’t a no.

“Because we don’t get Christmases like other people Sir, we never have. So this year we start a new tradition. We will see you at 8 o clock sharp so be sure to be wearing your dressing gown and slippers, and I’ll get Dobby to bring breakfast.”

Harry looked down at his plate again then and up to Draco, who had ordered eggs, bacon and mushrooms with some toast while Harry had been talking. “Dray, how did you get food?” he half asked, half whined. Draco ruffled his hair and Harry let the soft smile go over his face. It was Draco’s favourite.

“Just ask your plate what you want and it’ll appear.”

Harry’s eyes went wide. “Pancakes! Please,” he added as a stack of the thin, English style pancakes appeared on his plate, followed by a bowl of sugar, and a lemon. There was also honey. “Yes, thank you!” he told his plate and dug in while Snape rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously fond under his breath.

\--

The days running up to Christmas were spent with Flitwick, fixing up the bits of the castle that had been hastily patched, or just not fixed at all before the school year began. It was mostly fun and Harry made it all the more so with his easy attitude to things. It went quickly and they got a lot done.

Christmas eve was no different, except that they were on the other side of the castle, one of the towers had sustained heavy damage from Trolls and had been out of bounds ever since. But Flitwick and McGonagall had an idea on how to fix it up so they gathered the students and set them to work. Harry, Draco, Pansy and Blaise were one team with Flitwick. Hannah Abbott, Ernie McMillan and some younger years Harry wasn’t quite sure of went with McGonagall.

“Right, you will have to hold this part of the tower once I take away the supports Harry, Draco. I trust you can work well together.”

They laced hands and nodded as Flitwick explained the part Pansy and Blaise would play. It went rather smoothly as Harry and Draco concentrated on holding the heavy tower as it was fixed gradually by the others. When it was over they both slumped down, tired from the use of so much magic. Pansy pulled them to their feet.

“Come on, up you get.”

Blaise laughed as Flitwick went to check on the progress of the other group and left them to their own devices. They wandered, Blaise and Pansy in front and Draco hanging back with Harry.

As luck would have it just as they were passing through the wide courtyard it started to snow, huge flakes settling quickly and Pansy screeched and made a run for the covered part of the courtyard surrounding. Blaise just kept walking but Harry stopped to look up into the sky.

“I love the snow,” he breathed as it slowly gathered around his feet. Draco cast a warming charm. Honestly Harry would remember he was a Wizard one day and watched as Harry caught the flakes on his tongue. After a few moments of this he took Harry’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to his mouth. His tongue was cold but Draco soon had it warmed up as he licked into the cavern of Harry’s mouth and caused the shorter boy to melt against him.

“Are you coming inside?” he breathed seductively at Harry as their lips parted and Harry’s pupils were blown wide. Draco smirked until Harry laughed, bent down and threw an armful of snow at Draco. The blonde spluttered and distantly heard the laughter of Pansy. He growled, lifting a huge amount of snow with Wingardium and throwing it over at Harry. It was soft and powdery and turned Harry’s hair white. He only laughed and threw a snowball, then ran away. Draco gave chase, and suddenly Blaise was there with a snowbank for them both. Harry giggled as he tried to stop but Draco crashed into the back of them, landing on top of Harry who had turned to try to catch him and sending up a huge cloud of snow.

They looked at each other, Harry’s face shining and red from the run, his breath leaving little puffs of smoke in the air. He leaned down and kissed him again. “Harry, will you marry me?” he asked, his own cloud of breath obscuring Harry’s face for a second.

There was no answer and Draco met those emerald eyes, now glassy with tears as hands came up to clasp behind his head and pull him into another kiss, rolling him over so Harry lay on top.

“Of course I will,” he laughed with a blinding grin and then Blaise dumped a snowball on the back of his head. He pushed up and turned to see both Blaise and Pansy standing in the snow. They were smiling and he turned back to Draco to help him up, but he was kneeling there and working the ring he had always worn from his finger. He took Harry’s hand.

“I present to you the ring of my house, that it may join us forever, blood and spirit.” He intoned carefully as he put the ring onto Harry’s ring finger. Harry moved it to look at his hand and then gasped as it fell from his finger into the snow. He bent quickly, scooping it up and looking at the Malfoy crest.

“The ring you lost,” he breathed and then smiled down at Draco. “This is why you wanted it back so badly?”

Draco nodded, frowning as Harry still held the ring. He looked down at it again, the green shield and the fancy M carved into the face and then he put it on his thumb. It stayed there and he pulled Draco up to standing.

“I am honoured to accept….or something really pureblood and fancy.”

Draco rolled his eyes as Pansy groaned and Blaise patted her shoulder.

“Welcome to the party Potter. I hope you’re ready.”

Harry just smiled. He had just gotten engaged. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone. Draco took his hand.

“Severus is going to flip,” he laughed as they all made their way inside.

That night they slept in front of the fire, cuddling and kissing until the early hours. At ten to Eight they ran down to the dungeons, presents in hand to knock the potions master up. He answered, dressed in a gown and slippers with breakfast awaiting them.

He stared in shock at the ring on Harry’s finger, as Draco looked smug and Harry was just excited that Snape was in his Pyjama’s and had breakfast for them.

“To new beginnings I see,” Severus said with an arched brow at Draco. He bowed slightly in deference to the man’s skills

“To new beginnings,” he agreed and then Harry, mouth full of bacon yelled some approximation of the word “Presents”. Both men shared a look before telling him off, though Draco softened it with a kiss.

“You first sir!” Harry handed him a small wrapped parcel. “I picked it myself. So I hope you like it.”

Severus opened it slowly as was proper but then could not stop his mouth from slightly opening, Draco leaned over to see what it was and whistled. “Nice one Harry,” he said and went for a cuddle. Harry smiled. The potions journal had just been sitting in the Chamber, it seemed a waste so he brought it back up, along with some other books which he would also gift Snape if this first one went well. He shook his head though and stood.

“Not as good as my present,” he said proudly and showed Snape his ring. Severus smiled at the boy he used to hate and put the book aside. If this was how Christmases were to be from now on, he could very well get used to it.


End file.
